A Letter to Eleanor

by Gail Blantine

                                                                                                                  20 September 1919

                                                                                                                   New York

Dearest Cousin Eleanor,

My trunks have not been unpacked, I have not looked through the correspondence that is piled high on the table in the foyer, and I have not let anyone know I am home yet! It would have been wrong of me to do any of those things before I wrote to thank you once more for your splendid hospitality.

The past six weeks on Campobello with you, Franklin, and the children leave me with so many beautiful memories: the views of the Bay of Fundy from almost every room of the cottage; my first sail with the wind, salt air, and sun in my face; the family picnics on neighboring islands; horseback riding; afternoon tea with guests and their humorous tales; games of every ilk, and long, reflective walks in the woods. I could go on and on.

I wish with all my heart that I were a poet. Maybe then I could capture my feelings just now. Nature seems to have blessed that small island with enough land and sea for one to have adventures and yet enough quiet areas for one to slow down and contemplate. It was gratifying to see Franklin in a place that gives him a measure of distance from the political intensity that usually engulfs him. Such an energetic man! It was equally wonderful to watch the children enjoy their time with him and you. All of them are growing up so fast – Anna is on the cusp of womanhood already and you can see flashes of the men the boys will become. But, of all the activities and enjoyment that was Campobello, I think it was the nights that you read to us that I will remember most. You seemed to understand what was in the author’s very soul and used your voice and inflection to make the words come alive for the rest of us.

I leave Campobello behind but carry with me a serenity I have never before felt and thank you all for that gift that I will always cherish.

Your grateful and loving cousin,

Mary